There is absolutely no reason why kosher food and desserts have to be anything less than what everyone else is eating. Share with me your baking and cooking sucesses, challenges, and disasters. I will share my recipes, shabbat and holiday menu planning and my love of food.

Monday, November 25, 2013

We are in the final countdown to Thankgivikkuh and no one has enjoyed this convergence as much as I have. I still have more ideas, but it is time to actually start planning my own Thanksgiving dinner and make my shopping lists. Many of my Thanksgiving recipes can be found on thekitchn.com.

Remember that your copies of The Kosher Baker have recipes for lots of dairy free tarts and pies including pumpkin, mocha pecan, key lime, pear and almond and more, and The Holiday Kosher Baker will cover the entire week of Chanukah desserts plus all your gift-giving needs. Help me make the Jewish world a sweeter place.

Final Thanksgivikkuh thoughts: At your Thanksgiving tables, please honor the history of both holidays, which offer a chance to discuss how we feel as Jewish Americans. My four children, who have studied Jewish history for years, will appreciate how lucky we are to live in a country that allows us to live a full Jewish life without fear of persecution.

All of the mainstream press that my fellow Jewish chefs and I have enjoyed over the past few weeks, discussing the culinary opportunities afforded by Thanksgivikkuh, shows the important role Jewish food plays in the general American food scene. I feel privileged to have been a part of it.

Before you make your final shopping lists, add the ingredients for this elegant cookie. This cranberry rugelach is another tasty mashup of traditional Jewish dessert meets the best of Thanksgiving flavors.

To make the dough: Place the
margarine, cream cheese, flour, and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a mixer
or food processor fitted with a metal blade and mix just until dough comes
together. You can also mix the dough together by hand with a wooden spoon in a
large bowl.

Divide the dough in half and
wrap each ball in plastic and flatten. Freeze 2 hours or overnight. Let thaw
just until you can press into it.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a large sheet of
parchment on the counter. Sprinkle some flour on the parchment, place one of
the dough discs on the parchment, sprinkle again with flour, and then top with
a second sheet of parchment.

Rolling on top of the
parchment, roll out the disc of dough to 13 x 10 inches. Peel back the top
parchment a few times while rolling and sprinkle more flour on the
dough. Remove the top parchment and reserve for re-use. Spread half of the
raspberry jam evenly on the dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl
and then sprinkle half on top of the jam. Sprinkle half of the cranberries on
top.

Fold the right and left sides
(the short sides) of the dough 1/2 inch in toward the center to keep the
filling inside. Using the parchment to help you, roll the long side from the
top toward you, rolling as tightly as you can.

Line a cookie sheet with
parchment. Place the loaf on the cookie sheet with the seam on the bottom and
flatten slightly. Repeat for the second disc of dough and the remaining filling.

Bake for 40 minutes or until
the top begins to brown. Let cool and then slice into 1-inch pieces. These can
be frozen. Store covered with plastic or in an airtight container at room
temperature for five days or freeze for up to three months.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

I know that Thanksgivikkuh already involves mixing traditions,
but I had to go one step further. There is a recipe for classic churros in the
Chanukah chapter of The Holiday Kosher Baker. My thinking was that churros are an alternative fried alternative to doughnuts as they are smaller.

The version below was given the
Thanksgiving twist. For more thoughts on Thanksgivikkuh, check out the podcast of the Kojo Nnamdi Show yesterday, where I had the privilege of discussing Thanksgivikkuh on air for an entire hour with Bonnie and Michelle of American Food Roots. Also, see my Thanksgiving menu on www.thekitchn.com.

Pumpkin Churros

Makes 35

Dough

1 cup water

¼ cup canola oil plus extra for frying

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

½ cup canned pumpkin puree

Coating

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cover a small cookie sheet with two layers of paper towels.
Scoop the pumpkin on top and spread and let it sit while you make the dough;
this dries out the puree.

Place the water, oil, sugar, vanilla and salt into a small
saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a
rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and add the flour.

Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough over the heat until the
flour is completely mixed in and the dough comes together into a ball, about 30
seconds. Remove from heat and scoop this mixture into a medium bowl or
the bowl of a stand mixer. If mixing by hand, press the dough against the sides
of the bowl to help cool the dough and let cool two minutes.

Add one egg, mixing well by hand or with the paddle attachment
of the mixer. You will need to mix vigorously to incorporate the eggs. The
dough will clump up each time but after more stirring it will come
together. Repeat with remaining eggs, one at a time, mixing well after
each addition. Scrape the pumpkin puree off the paper towels and into the dough
and mix well. Place the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or
a round tip with points, with about a 1/3-inch opening; I use Atero #864.

In a shallow bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and
nutmeg. Set aside.

Heat 1½ inches of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high
heat, until the temperature holds between 365 and 370°F. Place a
wire rack over an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet. Hold the pastry bag
over the oil, reaching a little into the saucepan. With the pastry bag in
one hand and a knife or kitchen scissors in the other hand, quickly squeeze out
six 3 to 4-inch long strips and then use the knife or scissors to cut off the
dough and let the dough drop into the hot oil.

Cook no more than six at a time. After one minute, separate
any churros that are stuck together. Cook for four to five minutes total
time, trying to turn them over after two minutes, and then fry until
golden. Use a slotted spoon to lift the churros onto the rack to cool
slightly for a minute, or until you can handle them. Roll in the
cinnamon and nutmeg sugar and serve. Do not wait until the churros are
completely cool to roll in the coating; the residual oil helps the sugar mixture
stick better. Store covered at room temperature for up to two days or
freeze for up to three months. Reheat to serve.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Holiday Kosher Baker features apple
latkes, which can serve as an appetizer, side dish, dessert or a decadent
breakfast over Thanksgiving weekend. They look exactly like potato ones, but
with a very different taste. As we all love apple pie for Thanksgiving, I
thought that a doughnut that tastes like apple pie would be a great way to mash
up the flavors of Thanksgiving and Chanukah. You will be very grateful for
these doughnuts. For another great Thanksgivikkuh recipe check out my cranberry babka in the Washington Post.

1/4 ounce (1 envelope) dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ cup soymilk

2 tablespoons margarine, at room temperature
15 minutes

1 large egg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large apple

1 medium apple

3 ¼ - 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
for dusting

canola oil for frying

¼ cup granulated sugar for dusting doughnuts

In a large bowl, place the yeast, warm water
and one teaspoon of the sugar and stir. Let sit eight minutes, or until thick. Add
the remaining sugar, light brown sugar, soymilk, margarine, egg, cinnamon,
ginger, vanilla, salt and 2 cups flour and mix either with a wooden spoon or
with a dough hook in a stand mixer on low speed. Add ½ cup more flour and mix
in.

Peel the apples. Grate the larger apple on
the large holes of a box grater and add to bowl. Chop the second apple into ¼ inch
pieces and add to the bowl. Add ½ cup flour and use either the hook or your
hands to knead in the apple pieces. Add ¼ cup flour and mix in. At this point
it is easiest to dump the dough on the counter and gently knead the flour into
the dough. If it is still very sticky, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons flour and
knead in just until the dough comes together and is not sticking to the
counter. The dough can be a little sticky in parts.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at
room temperature.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a
Silpat and sprinkle generously with flour. Place another piece of parchment
paper on the counter and sprinkle 2 teaspoons flour on top. Scoop up the dough
and dump on top. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on top of the dough and then pat
down the dough until it is about ½ to 3/4-inch thick; it is easier than using a
rolling pin. Use a round 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out circles, very
close to each other in the dough, and place them on the cookie sheet. Re-roll and cut any scraps. Cover the doughnuts with a
dishtowel. Let rise 30 minutes.

Heat 1½ inches of oil in a medium saucepan
and use a candy thermometer to see when the oil stays between 365ºF and 370°F for a few
minutes; adjust the flame to keep the oil in that temperature range. Cover a cookie sheet with
foil. Place a wire rack on top of the cookie sheet and
set near the stovetop.

When the oil is ready, add the doughnuts
top-side down into the oil and cook for 90 seconds. Drop them one at a time by
holding an edge in the oil and then slide it in; if you drop them an inch or
higher from the oil, the oil could splatter and burn your fingers.You can cook up to five at a time. Turn the
doughnuts over and cook another 60 to 80 seconds, or until golden. Lift with a
slotted spoon and place on the wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining
doughnuts.

Place the sugar in a shallow bowl and roll
the doughnut holes in the sugar to coat.Store covered at room temperature for up to one day and reheat to serve.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I had an experience years ago that
taught me that you can never be thankful enough; even when you think you have
thanked people enough, you should thank them some more.

There are so many things I am
grateful for this year. First, my wonderful family, who support my work and
love me even when I am on the road more than any mom should be allowed to be
away, and still I retain the title.

Thank you to all the writers and
bloggers who give my book a voice and to the friends who help me arrange
appearances all over the world. Thank you to all the new friends I have met on
this book tour who invite me to lunch, house me when they have never met me
before, schlepp me from airports to hotels, serve as my sous chefs, show me the
highlights of their cities and welcome me whole-heartedly into their
communities. I am starting to think that there are many places I could
actually live in.

Finally, I am grateful to the lunar
calendar that brought me Thanksgivikkuh.

Speaking, thinking, baking and
writing about this once-in-a-lifetime holiday convergence has become a new
career for me, albeit a shortone. Lately, I
wake up every morning dreaming of new ways to combine the key flavors of each
holiday and for every interview I invent new ways to plan your savory menu and design
your table to make both holidays feel special. Most of all I seem to have
become the expert on creating desserts that combine the best of both holidays.
My children are definitely grateful for the results of the laboratory that now
occupies our kitchen.

I will be posting new Thanksgivikkuh
recipes all week as well as my favorite savory recipes for Thanksgiving, so check back here.

Easy Thanksgivikkuh Pumpkin Cake

This cake combines pumpkin, Thanksgiving’s star ingredient, with
Chanukah’s revered olive oil to create a moist cake that also has no sugar and
no white flour. This is my healthiest Thanksgivikkuh recipe. For some reason,
it seems to taste better as it ages.

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup agave syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1¼ cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 cups white whole wheat flour, plus extra for dusting pan

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon salt

spray oil for greasing pan

½ teaspoon confectioner’s sugar for dusting, if desired

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
Place the oil, agave, vanilla and eggs into a large bowl and beat for 30
seconds or until mixed. Add the pumpkin purée and mix well. Add
the white whole wheat flour, baking power, baking soda, cinnamon,
ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt and mix well. Scoop into the prepared loaf pan
and smooth the top. Lift the loaf pan two inches above the counter
and drop down on the counter three times to remove any bubbles.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center
comes out clean. Let cool ten minutes and then turn out onto a wire
rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired. Store
at room temperature for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.